In a fresh twist, murder-accused, former media executive Indrani Mukerjea on Thursday, 16 December, claimed that her daughter Sheena Bora – who was killed in 2012 – is apparently alive and currently in Kashmir .
What Did Mukerjea Claim?
In a letter to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Mukerjea contended that she met a woman in Byculla women's jail who told her that she met her daughter in Kashmir and urged the agency to track her.
According to a report by The Indian Express, Mukerjea’s lawyer Sana Ranees Khan confirmed that a letter was sent to the CBI on 27 November by her client but that she did not know the contents of it. Khan added that she will be moving a formal application before a trial court on 28 December.
However, according to the sources quoted by the NDTV, investigators are not taking her latest claim too seriously.
Latest Twist Flips the Case
Indrani, who was 43 at the time of the alleged murder, was accompanied by her driver Shyamvar Rai, and her former husband Sanjeev Khanna. The case was brought to light when Rai was nabbed by the Mumbai Police with a gun, who during his interrogation revealed that he allegedly witnessed the murder.
The Sheena Bora murder case has been one of of the most contentious and discussed cases for the past decade, with twists and turns at every development.
The latest twist flips the entire case since it goes against previous confessions by the accused. Quoting police sources, an NDTV report dated 3 September 2015 noted that Indrani flip flopped between confessing to the murder and stating that Bora was residing in the US. However, police investigation concluded the Indrani was the prime suspect in the case and have considered the case closed.
How the Case Has Progressed
24 April 2012: Sheena Bora goes missing and does not show up at work. No missing complaint, according to India Today, was lodged by her family members.
August 2015: Almost three years later, Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria receives an anonymous tip-off that Sheena Bora has been murdered. Police put her mother, Indrani, under surveillance.
21 August 2015: Police pick up Indrani’s driver Rai in connection with an illegal firearms case and in the interrogation, Rai confesses about his role in the murder.
25 August 2015: Police pick up Indrani from her residence and while she denies charges at first, later confesses to the crime after Rai’s statement is recounted. A day later, her former husband Khanna is also picked up from his Kolkata residence.
19 November 2015: The first charge sheet is filed, naming Indrani, Rai, and Khanna as the accused in the case. According to an India Today report, one of the reasons for the murder was Bora’s relationship with Rahul Mukerjea, who is the son of Indrani’s second husband Peter Mukerjea. The report adds that there were some financial motives to the murder as well.
16 February 2016: Second charge sheet filed, naming Peter Mukerjea as one of the accused. He is charged with conspiring to keep the knowledge of Bora’s disappearance away from the public eye.
February 2017: Peter Mukerjea and Indrani Mukerjea charged with murder and conspiracy.
28 January 2020: All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) medical examiner confirms from Bora’s skeleton remains that she was strangulated to death.
20 March 2020: Peter Mukerjea walks out of Jail after the Bombay High Court came to the conclusion that there was no prima facie evidence to prove his involvement
24 July 2021: Special CBI court rejects Indrani’s plea.
17 November 2021: Sessions court rejects anticipatory bail application of Indrani. In her plea, she stated that the allegations made against her in the charge sheet are vague and that she was victim of assault by jail staffers.
16 December 2021: Just a month post her bail rejection, Indrani alleges that a cell mate told her that Bora is alive and is living in Kashmir, contracting her confession statement from August 2015.
(With inputs from IANS, NDTV, India Today, The Indian Express, and News18.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)